Michael was, as many a kind, globe-trotting reader emailed
me last night, near the tracks of Peru
Rail, which runs from Cusco and a few smaller
destinations to Macchu Picchu. That goes a long way toward
explaining why he mysteriously wasn’t hurt. A lot of tourists
walk the route instead of taking the train, which means the
tracks are often crowded with people. The route
is also
very windy. Accordingly, trains go pretty slow: Peru
Rail says the leg from Ollantaytambo to Machu
Picchu takes an hour
and a half, and it’s only about 26 miles. So the train
that hit Michael moves at an average speed of 17 mph — way, way
slower than the speeds typical of passenger trains in the U.S.,
and a little more than half the speed of your average flying
soccer ball.

Here's what happened:

YouTube

OK.

If you slow it down frame by frame, you see the engineers
foot emerge and kick the guy in the face.